johndoe@gmail.com
Learning can be exciting, transformative, and empowering—but it can also be a source of significant anxiety. Whether driven by fear of failure, uncertainty about expectations, sensory overload, social pressures, or past educational experiences, learning anxiety can create barriers that prevent children and teens from fully engaging with opportunities to grow and succeed.
This month, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Library presents selected chapters from our Autism and Neurodiversity and Inclusive Teaching and Learning collections that explore practical strategies for helping students reduce anxiety at school and gain confidence on their learning journey.
Many of the stressors that provoke anxiety for children take place at school: learning challenges, exams, time management, bullying, and more.
Read about types of stress children face, as well as how they can regulate their responses to stress in this sample chapter from Helping Children to Manage Stress, a workbook written by therapist and expert Deborah M. Plummer offering anxiety-reducing games and activities for the classroom.
Children and teenagers with learning difficulties can sometimes face particularly strong anxieties at school. Fortunately, different support methods can help them understand, manage, and reduce the feelings that can inhibit confident learning.
In this chapter from The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Children and Young People with Learning Difficulties: A Guide for Educators, special education expert Kirstie Rees offers teachers a range of proven, practical approaches to help children navigate the unique anxieties that can accompany different types of learning challenges.
School environments often breed their own brand of chaos which students must manage. In dealing with the unexpected (not fitting in with peers, standing out too much from peers, failing to meet a teacher’s expectations, and so much more), students can encounter a host of daily anxieties.
Read this sample chapter from Supporting Young People through Everyday Chaos, in which school counsellor Nick Luxmoore offers a case study recounting his work with a young person who went from struggling to navigate chaos to confidently tackling anxieties in and out of school.
Living in an ever-changing world can generate anxiety in teens who look for a sense of structure and groundedness in their daily activities.
In this chapter from The Anxiety Workbook for Supporting Teens Who Learn Differently, specialists Clare Ward and James Galpin examine the nature of uncertainty, describe how young people respond to it, and offer practical activities for teachers and adults that can help students manage anxieties and regain balance.
For some students, a response to school-based anxiety may manifest as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). Factors can include challenges at school (bullying, classroom difficulties, exams),at home (separation or divorce, loss and bereavement), or individual issues such as fear of failure, learning difficulties, or physical illness.
In this provided chapter from The School Mental Health Response Handbook: Practical Strategies for Educators and Support Staff, education and child psychologists Ali D’Amario and Tina Rae examine the nature and signs of EBSA and present concrete tips and strategies for teachers and staff members seeking to support their learners.
